Mail-bag catcher.



c. A. FRAME.

MAIL BAG OATGHER. APPLICATION FILED MAB. 9, 1911.

994,308, Patented June 6, 1911.

2 BHEETS-SHEET I.

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v MAIL BAG GATCHER. I APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 9. 1911.

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CLOVIS A. FRAME, 0F CAMBRIDGE, OHIO.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1911.

Application filed March 9, 1911. Serial No. 613,239.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLovIs A. FRAME, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cambridge, in the county of Guernsey and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvementsin Mail-Bag Catchers, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention is an improved mail bag catcher for use on a mail car totake on sacks of mail at the stations, the invention consisting in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved device of thischaracter which is compact, may be manufactured at slight cost, is verystrong and durable, is not likely to get out of order, and whichoperates automatically to engage a mail sack as the car passes thestation, and may be then turned so as to allow the mail sack to bereadily taken into the car.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portionof a mail car provided with a mail bag catcher constructved inaccordance with my invention, and

showing the catcher in full lines, in position to and in the act ofcatching a mail bag, and also showing the catcher in dotted lines inlowered vertical position to enable the mail bag to be detachedtherefrom and taken into the car. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same showingthe catcher in one position in full lines, and in the reverse positionin dotted lines, portions of the device being broken away and shown insection. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same on the planeindicated by the line a;aof Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view ofthe same on the plane indicated by the line b-b of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is adetail sectional view on the plane indicated by the line cc of Fig. 1.Fig. 6 is a similar view on the plane indicated by the line dd of Fig.1.

For the purposes of this specification, I show a portion of a mail carat 1, and provided with the usual door-way 2 in one side of the car.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a supporting bar 3, whichextends across the door-way, and the ends of which are secured in thejambs or sides of the door frame. This bar is disposed at a suitableheight above the car floor. A base 4 which comprises a front plate 5 anda rear plate 6 has the said plates disposed on opposite sides ofthe barand secured thereto by means of bolts 7 which clamp the plates together.The said plates lie in vertical planes and also extend longitudinally ofthe bar. I

A pivot bolt 8 extends through openings in the centers of the saidplates. The opening in the rear plate 6, is slightly larger than that inthe front plate 5, so that the said pivot bolt is enabled to rock tosome extent in the said openings. The front'end or outer end of thepivot bolt is provided with a pair of forked arms 9. At the base of thefork is a turning plate 10, which bears against the outer plate 5 andhas an opening through which the main shank of the bolt 8 extends, andis also providedon its outer side with a transverse groove 11, whichforms a seat for the reception of the base of the fork. A cylindroconical cap 12, which is closed at its rear end excepting for anopening'through which the stem of the bolt 8 extends, incloses thatportion of the bolt which extends rearwar'dly from the base plate 6, andin the said cap is a coiled extensile spring 13, which bears against theplate 6, and also against the head or closed end of the cap. A washer 14is placed on the rear .end of the cap and a nut 15 is screwed on theprojecting end of the bolt. Hence the tensionof the spring may be variedby turning the nut. It will be understood that the action of the springis -to securely hold the bolt 8 in place and yet adapt it for rotation,and also for slight longitudinal movement, the base of the fork of thebolt being by the action of the spring, held in the groove 11 of theturning plate 10. The plate 5 of the base is provided at a suitabledistance from its ends, and equi-distant from the bolt 8,-

with a pair of substantially semi-spherical sockets 16. Curved camgrooves 17, which are concentric with the bolt 8, lead from the lowersides of these sockets to the lower edge of the said plate 5, and deependownwardly. Above each socket 16 is a stop flange 18, which projectsfrom the outer. side of the plate 5. r r

A head 19 is secured in the fork of the bolt 8 by a clip bar 20, whichbears on the outer side of the head and is provided w1th openings forthe reception of, the arms of the fork, and nuts 21 which are screwed onthe threaded ends of the arms of the fork.

Thebase of the fork fits in a groove 22 in the inner side of the head.This head is provided at one end with an arm 23, which has asubstantially semi-spherical step element 24 on its inner side, near itsouter end, which stop element may be engaged with either of the sockets16. At the same end, the head is provided with a shoulder 25 whichprojects laterally from the arm 23, and is provided on two of its sidesat right angles to each other, with notches 26, 27, the notch 27 beingon the outer side of the head. The head is also provided with alongitudinal bar 28. A spring 29 is secured to the rear side of the headat a point opposite the stop element, 24, and bears between the head andthe turning plate 10, its function being to admit of slight flexibilityand movement between the head and the turning plate. I also provide acatch 30 which has a stem 31 that extends through and is adapted to turnand to also move longitudinally in the bore of the head, and also has alocking flange 32 which may be engaged with the notch 26 or the notch 27at will. A coiled extensile spring 33 is fitted in a counter-bore in oneend of the head 19, and has its outer end secured as by a stop pin 35,to the stem 31, it being the function of this spring while permittinglongitudinal movement of the stem 31, to hold the stop flange 32 inengage ment either with the notch 26 or the notch 27 as the case may be.

A cap 37 is secured by screws 38 to the end of the head 19, opposite thenotches 26, 27 and covers the counter-bore and the last named spring.The extreme end of the said stem is rectangular or of other polygonalform cross sectionally, and is provided with a hand wheel 39 whichenables the catch to be moved longitudinally against the tension of itscushioning spring, and to be also turned from one position to another,to engage its locking flange 32 with the notch 26 or the notch 27. Thecatch has an inner stub jaw 40 and an outer jaw 41, the way 42 betweenthe said jaws extending diagonally and to ward the inner side of thecatch as shown. The stub jaw is provided with a pair of spaced lugs 42,and with shoulders 43 at one side of said lugs. These lugs havesemi-circular outer portions. The jaw 41 which terminates in anoutwardly and laterally inclined and outwardly tapering point 44, isalso provided with a longitudinal slot 45, disposed in a common planewith the space between the lugs 42, and in one side or wall of said slotis an opening 46. I also provide a pivoted jaw 47, the outer portion ofwhich forms a laterally extending outwardly tapering point 48. Thispivoted jaw has an arm 49 which operates in the slot 45, and extendsthrough the space between the lugs 42, and is pivoted between said lugsby a pin 50, the arm 49 being integral with the pivoted jaw. The latterhas at its base on 0p- -opening movement of the jaw 47.

posite sides of the arm 49, substantially semi-circular recesses 51, toreceive the lugs 42, the said recesses at the outer side of the base ofthe said pivoted jaw forming stop shoulders 52 which by engagement withthe shoulder 43, are adapted to limit the pivotal movement of the jaw 47from the jaw 41. The front end of the slot 45 when the same is engagedby the arm 49, also limits the The jaws 41 and 47 are hollowed on theiropposing sides as at 53, to provide a space for the reception of a mailbag, gripped between the said jaws, and in rear of the points 44, 48 ofthe said jaws. A spring catch 54 which is secured to one side of the jaw41, operates in the opening 46, and is provided at its outer side with aring 55. hen the jaw 47 is in closed position, with its point 48 bearingagainst the point 44 of the jaw 41, the said spring catch engages thefront side of the arm 49 so as to lock the said jaw 47 in this position,and thereby cause the said jaws to clamp a mail bag between them. Aspring 56 operates to open the jaw 47 when the arm 49 is released by thecatch 54.

The operation of my invention is as follows: In order to take on a mailbag at a station, the head 19 is turned so as to dis pose the jaws ofthe catch in the required direction, and the said catch is disposed withits jaws in a horizontal plane, the locking flange 32, in engagementwith the notch 27, and the jaw 47 in open position. The mail bag to betaken on is suspended at the required elevation and position from acrane such as is ordinarily employed, and as the car passes the station,the mail bag enters the space between the jaws 41, 47 and strikes thearm 49, thereby causing the jaw 47 to close and clamp the mail bagbetween it, and the jaw 41, the jaw 47 being as hereinbefore described,held in closed position by the engagement of the spring catch 54 withthe front side of the arm 49. The attendant in the car then turns thehead 19 and the catch to a vertical position with the aws of the catchextending downwardly, as indicated in dotted lines, in Fig. 1, thisbeing accomplished, by first engaging the locking element 24, from thefront socket 16. hen the head and the catch have been thus turned tovertical position, the attendant then grasps the hand wheel 39 and movesthe catch downwardly so as to disengage the locking flange 32 from thenotch 27, and he then partly turns the catch so as to engage the saidlocking flange with a recess 26 which is opposite the notch 26, therebydisposing and locking the catch with its aws parallel with the side ofthe car, and close to the lower portion of the door-way. This enablesthe attendant to readily grasp the ring 55 and release the spring catch54 from the arm 49 of the pivoted aw, he having previously caught holdof the mail bag, and hence the mail bag is released from the catch andmay be readily taken into the car. When the device is not in use,thehead and the catch are disposed in a horizontal position and thecatch is turned so as to engage its locking flange 22 with the notch 26,and thus lock the catch with its jaws in a vertical plane and near oneside of the car.

While I have herein shown and described what I now consider a preferredembodiment of my invention, I would have it understood that minorchanges in the form, proportion and construction of the several partsmay be made within the scope of my invention, as defined by the appendedclaims.

I claim 1. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a base elementhaving sockets on its outer side and cam grooves leading to saidsockets, a pivot element mounted in the base element and having a fork,a head mounted in the fork of the pivot element and having means toengage the sockets of the base element, a spring acting on thepivotelement to yieldingly hold the head in engaged position on the baseelement, a turning plate on the pivot element interposed between thebase element and the head and engaged by the fork of the pivot element,a spring between the head and the turning plate and cushioning the headon the turning plate and a catch carried by the head and having mail bagclamping devices.

2. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a base element, a headpivotally connected to the base element for angular movement in avertical plane, said head and base element having means to secure thehead in adjusted position, and said head being provided at one end withnotches arranged at angles to one another, and a catch having a stemextending through and having axial and slight longitudinal movement inthe head, said catch having a locking flange for engagement with eitherof the notches of the head and being also provided with mail bagclamping devices.

3. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a base element, havingsockets and cam grooves leading to said sockets, a pivot element mountedin the base element, a head connected to the base element by the pivotelement, and having means to engage the sockets of the base element, aspring acting on the pivot element to yieldingly hold the head inengaged position on the base element, and a catch carried by the headand having mail ba clamping devices.

a. In a mail ag catcher, the combination of a base element, a headpivotally connected thereto for angular movement in a vertical plane,said head and base element having coacting devices to secure the head inadjusted position, and a catch connected to the head for axial movement,and slight longitudinal movement, said head and catch having coactingmeans to secure the catch to the head at any desired angle with respectthereto, said catch having mail bag clamping devlces.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

CLOVIS A, FRAME.

Witnesses:

J. W. GARNER, GEO. S. LIVINGSTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

